The idea of providing a universal basic income —giving people money just for breathing— has been getting quite a bit of attention lately. Some liberals see it as a way to reduce the effects of growing income inequality, while some libertarian-leaning conservatives like the idea of replacing government-run services with cash and letting recipients decide how to spend it.

CNN Digital columnist John D. Sutter recently reported on a town where the basic income is already a reality, Cherokee, North Carolina. The town’s adult Native American residents each receive thousands of dollars a year in casino profits. As Sutter notes, the town has created a sort of natural experiment.




Sutter notes that the casino payments in Cherokee have grown in recent years and now stand at about $10,000 per person. Future research may show us what the rising payments will mean for the children growing up there now.





American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Vol. 2, No. 1 (January 2010), pp. 86-115
American Economic Association